Genesee Community College was not chosen for the first wave of the Start-Up NY program -- which creates tax-free zones around college campuses for 10 years -- but it is preparing to attract businesses.

UB and RIT, as well as Cornell and Downstate Medical Campus, have attracted a dozen companies in fields mostly consisting of biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and high-technology research fields.

As the program moves forward, GCC is developing its own plan for Genesee County.

For its Batavia Campus, the Board of Trustees last week introduced a Start-up NY plan. The proposal designates 30 acres of flat land within the Med Tech Park across the street and also highlights “how we would gauge and how we would judge whether or not a proposal from an outside company would be reviewed and assessed by the college administration to see whether or not they would be a good for us,” Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Donna Rae Sutherland said. “

She says they hope to attract agribusiness companies to the area, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“The ones that our college administration has identified as key areas of some sort of alignment would be our business administration program, biotechnology, computer information, engineering, food processing, health care, supply chain management. All of those would be ideal areas for us to work together and create some new jobs in our community,” Sutherland said.

“No matter what industry, the company would have to align itself with the college’s mission, as well as with one of our academic programs.”

The Board also listed 14 other locations as potential sites in Orleans and Wyoming Counties around GCC sites.

If the Board approved the plans, a public review process would follow before being sent to local economic leaders and law makers. It would then be submitted to SUNY and Empire State Development for final approval.